Automatic railroad or farm gate



(No Model.)

J. R. BENSON. AUTOMATIC RAILROAD AND FARM GATE.

No. 483,890. Patented Oct. 4, 18 92.

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nome/ k UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

JOSEPH ROBINSON BENSON, OF SONORA, TEXAS.

AUTOMATIC RAILROAD OR FARM GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,890, dated October 4, 1892.

Application filed April 13, 1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ROBINSON BEN SON, of Sonora, in the county of Sutton and State of Texas, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railroad or Farm Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements upon automatic railroad or farm gates; and it consists in the construction and arrangement of parts,which will be fully d escribed hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic farm or railroad gate which will automatically open by the weight of the car or wagon upon an operating-board and automatically close after the train has passed, and which can also be opened by hand when it is desired to let a single person pass through, either upon foot or horseback.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate which embodies my invention complete, showing the lower end of one of levers F broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same.

I will first describe my invention as used for a railroad-gate.

A indicates the rails of the track, and B the operating-boards,which are placed at each side of each rail and at their outer side. These operating-boards are mad e of a suitable length and thickness, and have their inner edges adjacent to or engaging the outer edges of the rails and hinged to the ties by means of a suitable hinge of any preferred construction. Placed under these operating-boards are suitable spiral or other springs E, which hold the said boards normally up, as shown in Fig. 2.

Secured to the inner edge of the operatingboards are the longitudinal iron rails C, with which, as will be seen, the tread of the wheels of the cars will engage when they approach the gate. Extending outward from these operatin -boards about their centers are the arms F, which have connecting their outer ends the bails G. Placed at each side of the Serial No. 429,020. (No model.)

track and between these arms F are two vertical parallel posts H, which are connected at their upper ends by means of a block or cross piece f. Single posts I are placed back of these posts H, and stand opposite a line drawn between the two posts'H and at a distance therefrom equal to the width of the gates'L, of which there are two, that come together at their inner edges, as shown. Passing from the upper ends of these outer posts I, which are taller than the inner posts H, is a wire or gate track K, which extends downward in a curved line, as illustrated, to or near to the center of the railroad-track and then up again to the post I at the opposite side of the track. Thus it will be seen that a track is formed for the gates, which is curved inward from oppo site sides of the track to the center thereof.

The front and rear ends of each gate are provided with extensions M, which have journaled in their upper ends rollers N, that rest upon the track K. In this manner the gates are supported upon this curved track, and when they are opened will automatically run together, as will be understood, from their own weight, down the curved track. Connecting the rear edges of these gates and the centers of the bails G are ropes, wires, or chains 6, so that when the operating-boards B are depressed by the tread of the wheels of the cars passing over them the outer ends of the arms F are depressed,carrying with them the bails G, which draw upon the ropes e, and thus draw the gates L outward and open to allow the train to pass through. These operatingboards B will be of such a length that one'car will not pass off of one end of the boards before the car connected therewith has passed upon the other end of the boards, thus holding the gates open until the train has passed. After the train has passed the boards B are moved upward again by the springs E, which will allow the gates to run down the track K to the center and meet, thus closing the track, so that animals cannot pass through. The cord 6 passes over a pulley b, journaled in the posts L.

For the purpose of assisting the springs E in raising the operating-boards or doing away entirely with the said spring I may provide cords h, which are attached at one of their ends to the bails G and pass over pulleys a, ournaled in the posts I, and have attached to their opposite ends weights d.

By means of the above construction it will be seen that as a train approaches the gates the wheels of the cars run upon the operatlng-boards B and, through the medium of the mechanism described, open the gates, and, after passing, the gates are allowed to run down the curved track and automatically close.

In order to open one gate at either side for the passage of a single person, when the gate 1s being used as a farm-gate or when being used as a railroad-gate, I provide slidingbars P at opposite sides of the posts H, which slide vertically in loops or guideways Q and carry at their lower ends wheels R, which engage the arms F. v v

Pivoted at their outer ends to the posts I are horizontal levers O,which extend inward over the roadway and have depending from their inner ends operating-cords 1'. These 1evers O engage or are pivotally connected, with the upper ends of the vertically-sliding bars P between their ends, sothat when the inner ends of the levers are pulled by means of one of the operating-cords z' the operating-board B at that side of the rod is depressed and the arms F connected therewith by reason of the wheel at the lower end of the sliding rod P engaging the lever F, as shown and described. This operation draws downward the bail G, connected therewith, and draws the gate at that side of the road open, as will be understood. When the cord 1' is released, the gate will automatically return to position.

Pivoted to opposite sides of the posts H at opposite sides of the track or roadway are buttons T, which when turned down will engage the upper face of the arms F and hold the gates open until the button or buttons are again turned up. By this means the gates can be propped open.

When the gate is used as a farm-gate, it will be just as before described, except that of course there will not be any railroad-track, and the longitudinal strips (J in this instance may be made of wood instead of iron, as be fore stated. When approaching the gates in a vehicle, the wheels of the vehicle are driven upon the operating-boards B, and the weight of the vehicle will depress the boards B and open the gates in the same manner as when wheels of cars.

the boards are engaged by thetread of the until the vehicle has passed entirely through and until the wheels thereof have passed off the opposite ends of the boards B, when the gates will automatically close, as before set forth.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An automatic gate comprisinglongitudinally-pivoted operating-boards having arms extending outward therefrom, supportingposts, a track connected to the posts and curved inward from each end thereof, gates which have their upper ends sliding and supported upon the said curved tracks, a connection between the outer ends of the said arms and the said gates for moving them outward, and a means for normally holding the operatinglooards upward, substantially as described.

2. An automatic gate comprising operatingboards extending along the roadway and pivoted at their inner edges, supporting-posts at opposite sides of the roadway, a track supported by the posts and curved downward and inward from its outer ends, gates which have their upper ends supported and sliding upon the said track, arms which extend outward from the said boards at each side of the said posts, a bail connecting the outer ends of the saidarms, a pulley, and a cord passing over the pulley and connected at opposite ends to the gate and bail, respectively, substantially as specified.

3. An automatic gate comprising an operating-board which extends along the roadway, supporting-posts at each side of the roadway, a track supported by the posts and curved downward and inward from its ends, an arm extending outward from the said board, a vertically-sliding bar which engages the said arm, and a lever for moving the bar vertically and depressing the said arm, and a means for holding the operating-board up, and a connection between the said arm and the gate for moving the gate outward when the arm is depressed, substantiallly as set forth.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH ROBINSON BENSON. Witnesses:

S. L. HOLLAND, J. M. BELL.

Ihe gates will be held open 

